I remember grandpa talking about how they would heat up rocks on the stove and put them at the end of their beds to start the night out warm (of course when he got up in the morning the water in the bucket was froze and he walked uphill in 3 feet of snow both ways to school!)

We have a big old farm house and heat with wood. 4 of my girls share a huge room we call the dormatory that can get a bit chilly. I know they would love to have a warm rock, brick, soapstone under their covers by their feet on those really cold nights. I was thinking the stones they sell for replacement in wood stoves might hold heat longer. What would you wrap them in to protect children and stuff from burns? Has anyone done this sort of thing?

-- Paul (pbray@tds.net), October 28, 2001

Answers

Response to Winter warmth

When I was a kid before the days of forced air heat etc, we wnet to bed with a hot water bottle. I still have one, Much nicer to hug than a brick. You can get them at the drugstore. Make a nice fleece cover for them, they'll keep your girls toasty all night.Note; Fill them about half full, gently press the air out and put the cap on real tight.

-- Judy Schumacher (TootlesTheBrit@aol.com), October 28, 2001.

Response to Winter warmth

I, too, vote for hot water bottles. I plan to make covers for mine. We do not use electric blankets because I feel they are dangerous (personal call), so my girls and I use down comforters and hot water bottles. I even sent one off to college with my oldest, but I think her dorm room will be plenty warm.

But I am interested to see what kind of a rock or brick you use. I hope you get some good suggestions.

-- conniein nm (karrelandconnie@msn.com), October 28, 2001.

Response to Winter warmth

Am I doing some thing wrong? I just set the heat to where it feels good and warm.

-- bin jr (bin@laden.com), October 28, 2001.

Response to Winter warmth

Do you have a microwave? We have been making corn bags, using whole field corn available at feed store. Any material will do for the cover. Heat in Microwave for 3 minutes on high and they retain heat for 45 minutes.I have sold lots of these as well as donated some to our animal hospital to use for post-op dogs and cats. I even use them in barn to warm chilled lambs or on an udder for inflammation of mastitis, etc. They ( sheep) seem to like the corn aroma and lay still for their tratment! I have heard dry regular uncooked rice works well too, though haven't tried it. You can e-mail me if you want my bag directions. Kate

-- Kate henderson (kate@sheepyvalley.com), October 28, 2001.

Response to Winter warmth

I don't have wood heat, so I can't say I've tried it, but a friend and I were speculating about heating the rice bags that Kate mentions on a cookstove. We were thinking about putting the rice bag into a dutch oven on top of the cook stove, or your heater stove, for that matter, if it has a flat top where you could do that. Might we worth experimenting. We thought the fabric might scorch or burn up if placed right on the stove top, hence the dutch oven.

-- Joy F [in So. Wisconsin] (CatFlunky@excite.com), October 28, 2001.

Response to Winter warmth

My mother heated a few bricks for us when we were kids. She wrapped them in an old towel and set them at our feet. She heated the odd rock as well, but never limestone because it's dangerous to heat rocks that may have water in the cracks. They can blow up in the fire.

-- Terri in Ks (hooperterri@prodigy.net), October 28, 2001.

Response to Winter warmth

We use, as my family did while I was growing up, soapstones. Soapstones, the big rectangular rocks with wire handles, are also used as grills for pancakes and biscuits. Anyway, we heat them on the top of the wood stove, wrap them in a towel a few minutes before bedtime and put them in the middle of the spot where we'll be lying, then push them to the feet when we climb into that warm bed. Yes, we have scorched a towel occasionally (I try to use dark ones) and I have had to use 2 towels occasionally, but we do sleep warm. I used to use one to heat my baby's basket before I put him down. Just check that it's not too hot and of course take it out when you put the baby in!

-- Rosalie (deatline@globalsite.net), October 28, 2001.

In Switzerland (or rather some swiss people) save cherry pits and fill them in sacks (small water bottle size) and then heat these and put them in the bed. Here in Italy we have a thing called a prete (meaning a priest). SO a lot of italian folks (or rather the older contadini (farmers)) sleep with a priest! LOL- It looks like 2 sleds glued together. On the inside top of the prete is a piece of metal. On the inside of the bottom piece you put hotcoals in a pot , put it in your bed and cover with your blankies. It gets left in for about 30 minutes. Sounds dangerous- and it probably is if you aren't careful, but it works great. I have one, but don't use it very much.

-- kelly (kellytree@hotmail.com), October 29, 2001.

We use hot water bottles. But ours are quart jars with the lids on really tight. I usually wrap them up in a towel until they cool off a little bit as even the tap water is a little too hot for my feet. And they stay warm for hours. I worry a little bit about one breaking if it fell out of bed, but have never actually had that happen. Have had a few leak, though. I'd use the rubber hot water bottles for small children, but you want to make sure the water isn't any hotter than body temperature for them. Oh, and if I'm really cold, I take two bottles to bed, one for my tummy and one for my feet. Plus wear a stocking cap.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), October 29, 2001.

I've used plain bricks heated in a slow oven, wrapped in old towels

-- Thumper (slrldr@yahoo.com), October 29, 2001.

When I was a little girl, way back in the dark ages, if we had a toothache at night and couldn't get to the dentist till later, Momma would cut a piece from a rag sheet and put salt in the middle of the small square of fabric. She'd tie up all the ends to make a little pouch type thing and then heat it in cast iron skillet. The warm bag of salt against the cheek near an aching tooth sure felt good. I still use that method today. But, I've also heated up a sock full of rice in the microwave to put on sore muscles. Iris

-- Iris (Sar_India@msn.com), October 29, 2001.

Hot water bottles, in a cover made from a piece of old blanket. Heat can't flow fast enough to scald you, that way (unless it bursts). Put it where you're going to lie, until you get into bed; then put it down at your feet. Parents sneak the cooling bottle out of the child's bed about an hour or two later.

For my bad back, and for muscle pain, I use a bag of wheat grains heated in a microwave. I guess any other grain would do; although I think that size (or rice, or barley) may be near-optimal. Heat would flow more slowly than from smaller grains that were more closely in contact; larger grains might hold enough heat each to be dangerous, although the heat flow between them would be slower.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), October 29, 2001.

Iris, that salt trick is great. We heat the salt in a dry skillet and then place it in a small cotton sack and then use it for earaches.

The hot water bottle is great. We use a flannel pillowcase when we want to wrap it.

My favorite is rather high tech. I have a moist heat pad that actually uses the humidity to make the moist heat. There is no need to wet anything. It is wonderful, but pricey and it runs on electric.

-- Anne (HealthyTouch101@wildmail.com), October 29, 2001.

Many times I can get by with this simple formula : When my wife is reading and nods off a couple of times, sets the book down and says " well, it's bed time. " , I say "Yep, I'll just pick up the newspapers, set the teacups in the kitchen, brush my teeth." I then find some other little thing to do like write out a check for the electric bill or inspect my billfold to be sure my drivers license is still there, or see if there are any new ladybugs on the ceiling. By this time she has crawled into bed and has it reasonably warm. Heh-Heh !! Upon occasion I do get repulsed to my cold side of the bed. As I said, it's a simple formula, and possibly if our marriage lasts another 27 years I'll have it perfected !

-- Charlie (kneedrop@triwest.net), October 30, 2001.